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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - April 22, 2008
Anne Hagert Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
April 22, 2008

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Resident Wins Cash Award To Create Esteem-Building Cultural Awareness Program For Immigrant Girls


(New York, NY, April 22, 2008) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident Anne Hagert, 58, is one step closer to driving meaningful change in her community and creating a better tomorrow. Anne was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. She is among the first Hello Tomorrow Fund winners to be selected by a newly expanded panel of judges that now includes Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York and actress Phylicia Rashad. Anne’s award will support the creation of Girls Club, an after-school program based at the South Philadelphia Free Library, where female students aged 6-12 from various cultural backgrounds will have the opportunity to create art projects as a means to build self-esteem, express themselves and socialize with others from diverse backgrounds.

South Philadelphia is home to many immigrant families, including natives of Cambodia, Vietnam, Africa, Central America, Indonesia, Italy and Mexico. Often in social situations such as after school programs, children tend to engage with those of similar ethnicities. With the Girls club, Anne hopes to enhance the chances for the young girls to interact with others who they may not usually have engaged with. Anne, a social worker for over 30 years, has witnessed through her work and volunteering with programs such as the Asian Arts Initiative, the isolation that many immigrant children face. “Stereotypes and fear often interfere with connections,” Anne notes. This lack of social interactivity often leads to poor social skills and low self esteem, therefore prohibiting immigrant girls from feeling comfortable in society.

Anne considers art to be a “universal language,” and through her Girls Club program, will utilize art as a means to bridge cultural barriers. Anne will host Girls Club as an after-school program at the South Philadelphia Free Library once a week, for eight weeks, in the fall, and a second group in the spring. Anne will use her social work background to develop art-based activities to encourage the girls to express their feelings and promote social activity. Four international students from the University of the Arts will serve as art instructors and positive role models. The girls will keep a personal journal of the experience as a takeaway and Anne will hire a videographer to capture each girl’s final art project and a personal interview about the experience. The culmination of the program will be an evening “gallery” showing of the final art projects, where families will gather to celebrate the girl’s work. Anne hopes this will promote social interaction among the parents and forge friendships that will last long after the program has ended.

The Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award will allow Anne to launch Girls Club, and the funds will cover facility expenses, art supplies, journals, videography, and staffing, as well as the costs to assemble the final gallery show. Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Anne will be able to reach 40 immigrant girls and their families, and encourage a more integrated social climate in South Philadelphia.

Anne’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund met the criteria of clearly presenting unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including personal finance expert, Suze Orman, actress Phylicia Rashad and Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York. “I admire this concept of using arts and crafts as a vehicle for self expression and building pride in one’s individuality,” noted judge Sarah Ferguson of Anne’s proposal. “This cannot be accomplished with words alone.”

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